Morning all,
Message from Jen. Hey Joy....sorry I haven't written...the last 2 weeks have been a blur...Mom's doing ok....just trying to keep her out of pain right now...they are going to switch her over to "long-term" care around November 1st. Sorry she isin't up to phone calls...it's hard for her to talk for more than 5 minutes without throwing up...I'm only there 20 minutes a day...mostly she just sleeps. When she switches over and is a little more settled in....maybe I can try and set up a phone call for you. she had the phone removed from her room..so tell the others they can stop calling there..there is no way to get thru...lol sorry about that..her visitor list is restricted too. I promise I will let you know if anything worsens.....Love to you...hope all is well as can be..lol I'll write u soon...u can pass this along if you wish
Talk 2 u soon.....Love ya,

At last. A message. Ill be back later with personals and updates - got a 7.00am appointment today and better look like I am interested.

I'm on a super high priority project and I have to have it mostly done by end of day...so just a quick check in to say that I'm relieved we heard from Jen. It must be so rough on her to see her mom on the decline and that she's only able to be there 20 minutes or so per day.

I'm not surprised that Mel sleeps so much, as they are likely giving her meds to help with the pain and those meds may make her drowsy.

My Mini Goals:
1) Consume less than 120 grams of carbs, 30 grams of sugar and 1,100 net calories (factoring in exercise) 2) Exercise 6 days per week at least 45 minutes per day
3) Follow the Bariatric surgery eating plan
4) Make the most of each moment

Just wanted to add...I'm not sure if y'all watched Biggest Loser last night. I did, and it was really good. I really enjoyed the new twist....the trainers not only selected the contestants, but they also got to pick the teams after the first group workout.

I was so motivated that even though I DVRed it, I didn't fast forward through the commercials as I usually do. Instead, I used that time to do crunches, planks, pushups and squats. Still couldn't do more than a 30 second plank...but I did several of them throughout the commercial breaks.

My Mini Goals:
1) Consume less than 120 grams of carbs, 30 grams of sugar and 1,100 net calories (factoring in exercise) 2) Exercise 6 days per week at least 45 minutes per day
3) Follow the Bariatric surgery eating plan
4) Make the most of each moment

Thanks for the update Shad. Glad Jen got back to you. I don't expect to be able to talk to Mel - although that would be nice - I just appreciate getting some news about how she is doing, no matter what way we get it. Now I just hope we can get word back on Mel getting the photo frame.

Michelle - I stopped watching Biggest Loser years ago. Hated when they switched to the format of yelling at the contestants and thought the 10 - 20 pound a week weight losses were unrealistic as well as some of the "tricks" people did to win weigh ins. I just feel this show is very "staged" for reality tv and in some ways dangerous as when they first start out and everyone is so overweight and out of shape yet they make them work out until they vomit or do a 3 mile hike in the hot sand. Unrealistic. I still stand by my wish that I think this show would do a greater service to the public if they would devote even 10 minutes to giving realistic tips on eating (instead of harping sponsor's products) and as trainers give some examples of workouts that in home viewers could use in their own weight loss efforts. Sorry - I know you didn't ask for a soap box opinion, it's just that this show has a huge following and I really, really wish they would do more to help the people who find this show motivating. Anyway I'm glad that you were encouraged by it.

Laura - I will let you know how the biscuits turned out. Trying to figure out if I can make just a serving at a time instead of the entire box. They are much better fresh (and less tempting) if you make a one hot serving at a time. While you may not have had a big loss this past WW session I'm sure it's much harder trying to get the last few pounds off. Congrats on the 29 pounds you've kept off since last year. Maintaining is it's own challenge. Hopefully you can find some motivation through the next session which will be super challenging I imagine because the weather turns colder (which always made me hungrier), and the sugar holidays are almost upon us - starting with Halloween. But then there's also good things like turkey and cranberries, apples, squash, sweet potatoes and warm soups to help keep the temptations at bay.

Susie - that's good you were able to get a plumber so quickly and with minimal damage. As you said - you never know with plumbing jobs - sometimes it gets really expensive by the time you know you have an issue. Lunch sounded really tasty the other day.

Ceejay - stay warm and dry - are the leaves starting to fall yet?

Hi Annie

Need to go find some lunch and get busy. I have lots to do around the house today.

Happy
was going to comment on the cheddar cheese biscuits. My nephew's gf made these and she was giving it a high rating. She's an excellent cook, so I trust her opinion.

Michelle
I'll have to watch the BL via the internet. I forgot about it coming on --really haven't seen any information on when they were starting. I've got a couple of BL DVD's.
Good luck with your project.

Hello's to Laura, Susie, Shad and Annie.

The rain has finally ended, cooler weather is predicted this week with highs in the lower 70's and low's mid 40's. My kind or weather.
I have a trip planned for a couple of day's to Hardy. I'm hoping that the leaves have begun to change. I've seen a few tree's starting to turn here.
I'm on vacation starting tomorrow.

Okay, I totally lost a completely finished post when I went to preview it. Grrrr! Here's the jist:

Ceejay - Have a nice vacation. Hope the weather cooperates for you.

Happy - Have to agree with you re TBL - could be so much more than the ridiculous amount of time they spend shilling products and airing melodrama. And how do the show's medical advisors go along with those extreme workouts with a clear conscience???!!! Those good (& good for you) fall foods you listed made me hungry as I read your comment. I'll add them to the shopping list!

Shad - Thanks for sharing Jen's update.

Michelle - Good for you working out through the TBL commercial breaks!!

Annie, Susie:
---
Off a wee bit early from work today to go to my doc - I have a bp follow-up. Uploaded and printed my bp readings year to date from my bp monitor to bring to the doc. The culture of my urine sample came back negative - WTH?? But I am still having "discomfort"; The Cipro isn't doing anything, but then again there's apparently nothing for it to do. Definitely being discussed with the doc today!!

Hope to make it to my Barre class after the doc appointment.

In discussing park district classes vs. gym membership with my bf, the membership is actually cheaper over the course of the year! The new gym (LA Fitness, bought Bally's and built a new facility) has many nice amenities AND group fitness classes. I will get a free 3-day guest pass and give it a go.

Morning all,
Yesterday went by in a bit of a blur. Sort of no day really. I went and washed the car - yes she has had her first bath and I filled her up with petrol. Then I had a long conversation with a financial advisor who is wanting me to put more money into superannuation which I feel very jittery about. I'm really conservative when it comes to my money and lately it seems every one wants to put a finger in the pie. Guess I need to keep working for a while.
After that I checked out the food list for the week and made some stuff for breakfasts and lunches. This morning I get to have Mexican eggs for breakfast although seeing as I had a late dinner last night, breakfast may become brunch. I am definitely not hungry yet.
After lunch yesterday I went off to the doctor. The one I had seen for the last couple of times has moved on. She was doing her six months in GP training and I really liked her. But I got another female doctor who seems to be really brusque and in a bit of a hurry. Not sure I liked her that much since she seems to be of the same ilk as my old retired doctor. Just write the prescription repeat, take the blood pressure and get rid of the patient.
Following that I mucked about the house, wrote a list of things to achieve today and called my niece to invite her out to lunch today along with her gorgeous girls.
Dinner last night was quite yummy - pork fillet medallions with a honey mustard dressing and a warm red cabbage salad. Think I might have overdone the vinegar in the salad somewhat but it was nice and I get to have it again tonight.
Watched a bit of mindless tv and went to bed with the cat still yelling in my ear. She hasn't shut up since she came home.

I don't know who to congratulate for getting Jen moving. I think we all need to take a bow and congratulate ourselves. Hopefully we will be able to talk to Mel at some stage. Meantime we might need to calm down and wait. Keep calm and hang on tight for a miracle or two. Carla tells me she was so worried that she was checking the obits in the Weehawken area papers. Must admit the same thought had crossed my mind and I was about to start looking myself.

Laura - interesting that you lot gain that sort of weight in 2 months - I guess that Halloween is not so much of a big deal here. Well the supermarkets would like it to be, but it hasn't really caught on. I don't see the 'special carving pumpkins' on sale this year, just displays of masks and costumes and a mountain of sweets of one description or another.
I'm still finishing off the abs challenge. Got 3 days to do, and I keep having a rest day since it now takes up so much of my time to get these things done. The easiest one - leg raises - don't rate the same as the sit ups and crunches. The plank is not too bad either.

Susie - So glad that the plumber didn't cost too much. Always a bit of a worry that. I guess I'm a bit lucky since I am pretty handy with DIY and have a son who is fantastic with renovations. He is also an Electrician which makes life much simpler. Move that plug and point to there please. Can I have a light up in the roof space please. Bought a new exhaust fan for the bathroom, can you spare some time to install it please. He gets paid in Bacon and Egg pies - which apparently no-one can make as good as his Mum does!!!!

Happy - yeah I am hoping that Mel will be able to enjoy those photos. Sounds like she sleeps a lot at the moment, but lets just hope for an adjustment in meds so that she can become a bit compos mentis for a while anyway. I'm sure either Jen or Antoinette will let us know that it has arrived. I wonder if Carol got an email addy for Antoinette. I'll pass on any information I get asap.

Ceejay - have a great holiday.

Michelle - Hope the project is done and working. Tight deadlines hey? Seems that things go along and along and all of a sudden everything must be done yesterday. Gotta love projects.

Annie - those recipes sounded great. Might try the fish one when I sort out next weeks menu.

Guess that's about it. Can't think of much more. I have a card here for Mel and I should write her a letter. I'm just not much good with sickness. I keep putting things off. Anyway I'm off. Got laundry to do. Need to clean the laundry, bathroom and loo (my favourite jobs NOT). But at least I get to have lunch with 2 gorgeous girls.

Ceejay - Have a great vacation!! I'll have to look on the map to see where Hardy is.

Laura - I'm sorry that you're still having discomfort. Yes, episode 1 of this seasons TBL was definitely more motivational (I thought) than previous years, at least in my opinion. Like you and Happy, I dislike the product shilling and melodrama. I mean really? On what planet are canned soups (even the low calorie ones) healthy? If they're going to highlight products, they should make some sort of mention that the processed foods are high in sodium.

Happy - I agree with all you said about TBL. There's not as much yelling. Jillian's gotten softer since she became a mother, and the other two trainers (Bob and Dolvett) don't yell as much. I like that they do get the contestants to think about the underlying causes of their weight problems. And I like that they do have medics there for contestants who work out too hard.

When I watch TBL, I realize that some if not all of it is staged, that I won't achieve the 15-30 lbs per week weight loss because I don't work out all day every day. Nor do I have a personal chef. And even with all the staged melodrama, product shilling and insane workouts (and they do frequently show what people can do at home), I get a lot of motivation out of it.

When my life was so up in the air last fall/winter and I didn't know where I'd be moving in CA, I actually considered applying to be a contestant on TBL. I wasn't sure if I'd get picked due to my back limitations, and I wasn't sure how I'd deal with the workouts if I had gotten picked. But I was willing to give it a try and reveal to the world my weight and my figure in a jog bra and bike shorts if it meant getting healthy. I may still apply to go on next season if I haven't dropped the weight. Then again, given the starting weight for this season's contestants...I may be too thin!

My Mini Goals:
1) Consume less than 120 grams of carbs, 30 grams of sugar and 1,100 net calories (factoring in exercise) 2) Exercise 6 days per week at least 45 minutes per day
3) Follow the Bariatric surgery eating plan
4) Make the most of each moment

Well we didn't going to the Covered Bridge Festival. Instead we got up and decided to go fishing. Bad day for fishing, only 7 fish caught. Should of went to the festival. haha. All and all we had a very nice day together and really I don't care what we do, as long as we do things together. On the way home C bought us dinner at Applebees. I had the half order of the grilled oriental chicken salad. Very yummy.

Baby boy stopped by before going off to plumbing school. I love his Wednesday evening visits. He was having hemmie probs so I went to CVS and got him some baby wipes and hemmie meds. Never stop being a mom and I love it, even if he is 25.

Today is Sissy's ultrasound to maybe find out the gender. 18 weeks and 2 days along may be a bit early. She has another usound scheduled two weeks out, that one will tell for certain if the baby is facing or should I say b*tting the right direction. lol.

CHELLE....I used to watch TBL back in the early days but have not watched it in years, lost interest. I may try it again since you are giving it better reviews than before.

SHADDIE...how did the visit go with your nieces? You always make food I like or would like to try. Do you ever just take a day to do a whole lot of nothing? You are always making lists and checking them twice. Thank you for the update from Jen/Mellie.

LAURA...sorry you are still under the weather. How's the BP? Did you get new meds from the doc?

CEEJ...we had a break from the rain yesterday but it is back today and through the weekend. bleh. I think that is why I am havingn sinus issues lately. Who knows probably just more old age sitting in.

HAPPY...funny you got the ingreds and recipe to make the cheddar biscuits and I was at Red Lobster last weekend and didn't even eat them. Believe you me, I love love love those biscuits.

SUSIE....I looked up the TOPS meetings around Indy. THere is one about 2 miles from my house but on Wednesday nights. Weds are Curtis and I's night together as he only has Wed and Sunday's off. I think there is another one about 5 miles away. I may try it just to keep myself accountable.

Annie
Think I would have enjoyed the time at the covered bridge festival but I understand spending time with C is more important. And in my honest opinion 7 fish caught is not bad.

Michelle
I watched the BL on the Internet last night. Yes I agree that some of the weight loss is staged. Nearly fell out of my chair at the guy who lost 38 pounds. That one had to be staged. I thought wow he had a lot of fluid pounds. But it is motivational for me as well.
Hardy, Arkansas is in the foot hills of Arkansas. It's known for it's shops, and recreational type things. It's located on the Spring river. I'm going to enjoy my 10 days off.

Susie
I haven't thought about the TOPS in a long time. Not even sure if they are in our area. I really do wish that there was something closer than and hour away for me to be accountable to.

Shad
So the princess got a bath yesterday. I need to clean up my vehicle today to get it ready to take on my short trip.
I agree that we should hold back trying to contact Mel. Kinda sounds like we may have hit a nerve with Jen.

Didn't get to the gym last night. I was just too tired. So I picked Santa up from day care and headed home. I watched the first half of the movie "The Help" on DVD. I'll finish it tonight. I've seen it before and it's a good movie.

I'll be going to the gym tonight as I have a free personal training session. Yes, I know they'll try and sell me more personal training sessions, but they better make the prices pretty reasonable for me to even consider it.

No big plans for the weekend as of yet. D has to work the next four nights, so we may be able to get together Sunday morning. That's okay. I could use a relaxing weekend.

My Mini Goals:
1) Consume less than 120 grams of carbs, 30 grams of sugar and 1,100 net calories (factoring in exercise) 2) Exercise 6 days per week at least 45 minutes per day
3) Follow the Bariatric surgery eating plan
4) Make the most of each moment

Shad - Busy as usual, huh? Re the retirement funds - when I hear and read how much money you're supposed to have, it's so big and seemingly impossible to achieve. And another suggestion I hear is to hold off taking social security as long as possible, to age 70, when the payouts are largest vs. the actual age you qualify, which would be somewhere between 65 -67...sheesh. We'll be working forever!! It really makes me realize how important it is for me to find a career in something I'm really interested in and will enjoy doing!! Sorry you new doc is more about getting patients in and out than focusing on you in your time together. Re Halloween - it's really become a huge thing here. It's getting closeer and closer to Christmas for $$ spent on it.

Annie - Too bad you didn't get to the festival yesterday, but it sounds nice just to chill out with your loved one. I can't say I'm much interested in fishing, but the other parts of it - being on/near the water, hopefully in a quiet, pretty place - that appeals to me. Yeh, I don't think any of us called at Mel's place except you - you were the only one who'd tracked her down at that point. I'm sure it was all the people in her building making pests of themselves as usual. Or meaning well. Re the doc visit - no new meds for anything. My bp is very well controlled, doc is pleased with that. I'm on the lowest level/dose of med, one step above a plain old water pill, so there's really nothing to reduce to, darn it. Let us know if you go to TOPS!

Ceejay - Safe travels!! Ten days off - nice!

Michelle - TBL has been going with the extremes for many years now, I just don't think you'd qualify as a contestant! I'm glad you find it motivating, I know it's important to keep the motivation going - struggling with that right now. It would probably be a good thing for me to tune in to TBL, and do more reading about weight loss, etc. Keep the focus!

Hellos to Happy & Susie!
==
Doc appointment was fine. Doc suggested a lot of water and cranberry supplements for me, which I wil do. Also said to see how I feel in a week and if there's no improvement, go see my gyne to see if there's anything going on down there. She was also going to order bloodwork, but I'm having it in a week through my work, so she was fine with that - she gets the results sent to her. I'm stopping with all those cherry tomatoes I've been eating just in case that irritated something. Otherwise I just don't know what else to do.

Barre class was good - again feeling it a lot in my feet and lower legs.

Nothing much else to report. Getting my flu shot in a few minutes, so off I go. TTFN.